Is Your Martinsburg, WV Car Insurance Leaving a Hole in Your Pocket?

Are you overwhelmed by the number of car insurance companies in Martinsburg? Many other drivers are as well. Drivers have so many options available that it can easily become a big hassle to find the lowest price.

Save money by taking advantage of these discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied when you complete an application, but a few must be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.

Memberships – Belonging to a professional or civic organization could trigger savings on your policy.
Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of 20% or more.
Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Resident Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose companies who offer car insurance discounts in Martinsburg, follow this link.

Learn How to Lower your Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better car insurance rates.

Please use or commuting – The more you drive each year the more you will pay for car insurance. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage.
Traffic citations inflate rates – Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Just one citation can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. If you have dangerous violations like DUI or reckless driving may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
One company can mean more discounts – The majority of insurers will award you with lower prices to customers who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you still need to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. Consumers may find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Safer cars reduce injuries and lower injury rates translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Being married can save on car insurance – Having a wife or husband can get you a discount on car insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.

When might I need the advice of an agent?

When buying the best car insurance coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

Here are some questions about coverages that might point out whether your personal situation might need professional guidance.

Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Martinsburg?
Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
What discounts do I qualify for?
Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Neighborhood insurance agents

Some consumers would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find better rates but also keep your business local. Supporting local agencies is important particularly in Martinsburg.

Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), your coverage information is sent to local insurance agents in Martinsburg who will battle to get your business. You never need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Compare rates from both independent and captive insurance agencies

When researching a good insurance agency, you must know there are a couple types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agencies in Martinsburg are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive. lower rates in Martinsburg

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and that require little work on your part. When searching for an agent, it’s recommended you include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to ensure the widest selection of prices.Most can insure with smaller companies which can be an advantage.

Shown below are independent agents in Martinsburg willing to provide pricing information.

Arndt-Mc Bee Insurance Inc – 824 N Queen St – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 263-6906
Myers Agency – 114 Aikens Ctr # 4 – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 263-3349
Nationwide Insurance – 519 Winchester Ave – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 267-2100
Myers Agency – 115 Aikens Ctr # 4 – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 263-3349

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agencies can only write with one company and examples are State Farm, AAA and Liberty Mutual. These agents are not able to place coverage with different providers so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captives are well schooled in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Some people will only choose to use a captive agent primarily because of the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

Below are captive insurance agencies in Martinsburg who can help you get comparison quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 701 Wilson St – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 267-2919
Allstate Insurance – 311 Aikens Ctr – Martinsburg, WV 25401 – (304) 267-6639

To view a complete directory of captive insurance agencies in Martinsburg, view this link.

Choosing an insurance agency requires more thought than just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
Does the agency support the community they serve?
Do they assist clients in filing claims?
Is assistance available after office hours?
Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?

Upon receiving good answers for all questions you ask as well as a affordable price, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agency that is a good match to properly service your car insurance policy.

The fine print in car insurance ads

GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you move to their company. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Consumers who do not match the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save money. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers should get as many comparisons as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Learn more about West Virginia car insurance

More information can be read on the West Virginia Insurance Commission website through this link. West Virginia consumers can read industry bulletins, view agent and company licensing information, and find out industry alerts.

Also read more on QuoteClickInsure.com and this link where you can get more info about Martinsburg coverage.

In the end, you save

We’ve covered some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as denial of a claim, delays in responding to claim requests, high prices and even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company is actually quite simple.

When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.